The ravages of time
would play havoc with the huge megaliths making up
the Mnajdra and Hagar Qim temples unless they are covered
by a protective tent to prevent erosion, according
to Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna executive director Mario
Farrugia.
A plan to cover Mnajdra and Hagar Qim has been put
in abeyance because of the exorbitant cost of Lm3 million.
Nearly two years ago to the day, vandals struck at
Mnajdra under the veil of night, toppling several of
its massive
megaliths.
Malta and the cultural world
was shocked beyond belief following the wanton destruction
inflicted upon the
5,000-year-old temple near Zurrieq.
Din l-Art Helwa president Martin Scicluna had described
the act as worse than the Taliban bombing of a centuries-old
Buddha statue carved in the rock face of an Afghan
mountain earlier that year.
Then Tourism Minister Michael Refalo had commented
that he found it hard to gather enough courage to tell
his
wife about the act perpetrated by "warped minds".
A world heritage site, Mnajdra lies about 500 metres
away from Hagar Qim, another prehistoric temple. The
garigue in between the temples is listed as a class
A site of archaeological importance, meaning that no
structure
can be built within a 100-metre buffer zone. Even the
coastal cliffs nearby are listed.
Two weeks prior to the vandal attack, the planning
authority had issued 20 stop and enforcement notices
to people
who put up stone hides used for the trapping of song
birds.
Several improvements have been effected since the
vandal attack. At night, both Mnajdra and Hagar Qim
are lit
up and a watchman is present, while custodians watch
over each temple during the day.
Bird hunters and trappers still have hides close
to the two temples and no one has managed to curb this
practice.
Entrance to the temples is restricted, Mr Farrugia
said.
The government had listed these prehistoric temples
and their preservation as among the projects eligible
for
structural funds from the EU.
"Having the EU pushing us to get on with such
jobs would help us take these problems in our stride
and finally
get on with it," Mr Farrugia said.
|
